Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has expressed dismay that since 2016 when the Ogoni Clean Up exercise was flagged off by the Federal Government, no tangible milestone has been achieved.
The Governor said rather than tell the world the level of success attained, Federal Government continues to deceive the people by circulating same story of handing over remediation sites to contractors and wondered if handing over sites to contractors means that the contractors have done the job.
Governor Wike who bared his mind on the issue last Thursday when the Minister of Environment, Dr Mohammed Mahmood Abubakar paid him a courtesy visit at Government House, Port Harcourt, attributed the failure of the programme to undue politicisation.
He further stated that the Rivers State Government was alienated from the programme to the extent that nobody has ever briefed the state government since the inception of the exercise, stressing that the only way the programme would work is when the stakeholders , including the state government work together.
He urged the Federal Government to stop playing politics with the programme if it is serious about it and to also stop using unqualified contractors in executing the project.
The Minister of Environment, Dr Mohammed Mahmood Abubakar, said they were in the state to handover additional 36 remediation sites to contractors as part of the clean up.
Also last week, the Rivers State Executive Council approved the sale of the abandoned 17-storey Stock Exchange building in Port Harcourt.
The State Executive Council meeting which was presided over by the state governor reached the decision following reports that criminal elements have turned the structure acquired by the state government to their hide-out.
The state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim who briefed Government House correspondents after the council meeting yesterday disclosed this, adding that the council also approved that the property be advertised for sale.
Another major event in the Brick House within the week under review was Governor Wike’s reaction to the Supreme Court ruling on the Bayelsa State gubernatorial election which declared the PDP candidate, Douye Diri winner and the threat by the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole that the PDP candidate would not be sworn-in.
Wike, who berated Oshiomhole for making such unguarded utterances said the APC National Chairman had no such powers to make pronouncement after the Supreme Court had ruled on the matter.
He appealed to the Federal Government to warn Oshiomhole to desist from making inflammentory utterances capable of destabilising the country.
“He is making statements as if he owns the country. This is the same way he is carrying on in Edo State, fighting the governor.
“He believes that  he has the forces to cause crisis. He is arrogating powers to himself which is not good”, Gov Wike stated.
The demise of Governor Wike’s uncle, Chief Charles Wike attracted the Governors of Abia State, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu and Akwa Ibom State, Dr Udom Emmanuel who were in Brick House to commiserate with the Rivers State chief executive. While Governor Udom visite penultimate Sunday, the Abia State Governor came last Tuesday.
Both Governors had described the late Chief Charles Wike as an upright man who not only lived a life worthy of emulation but also gave Governor Nyesom Wike strong support and prayed God to give Wike and the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
Governor Wike also joined prominent politicians and top personalities in the country to attend the funeral service of  Mr Alozie Anyanwu, late son of an elder statesman, Prince Emmanuel Anyanwu at Saint Paul’s Cathedral, Port Harcourt.
The Rivers State governor declared last week that the contributions of late Chief Emmanuel Wonukwuru Aguma to nation building should spur upcoming leaders to work harder for the people.

By: Chris Oluoh

The Imo State Concerned Citizens Forum (ICCF), a group of young professionals and businessmen from Imo State, has called on the people to maintain the prevailing peace and solidarity for the progress of the state and country at large.
The group made the appeal ahead of the Supreme Court review of its judgment over the governorship of Imo State on February 18.
It said this in a statement signed by its Convener, Mr Kingsley Onwubiko, a copy of which was made available to our source yesterday in Abuja.
ICCF commended Imo people for their massive show of love and solidarity to the former governor of the state, Mr Emeka Ihedioha, during the past few weeks, urging them to sustain the peace.
Our source reports that the state faced trying periods following the Supreme Court judgment which declared the candidate of the APC, Chief Hope Uzodinma, as governor of the state.
The supreme court has fixed February 18 to hear the application for review filed by Ihedioha.
Onwubiko appreciated  the  people, who trooped out on Wednesday (February 12), in response to their call for peaceful demonstration against the judgment of the Supreme Court.
He lauded Imolites for their refusal to be silenced in the wake of intimidations, threats and blackmail to stop them from expressing themselves through peaceful protests and prayers against the decision of the court.
“Voice of Ndi Imo was heard all over Nigeria and in the diaspora, showing the resilience and intellectualism of the Imo citizenry,” Onwubiko noted.
According to him, “as the Supreme Court is set to hear the application for review on February 18, we urge all Imolites to pray to God to deliver and restore our state to the hands of Ihedioha”.
He expressed optimism that the miscarriage of justice occasioned by the Supreme Court decision on Imo would be reviewed in line with the application filed by Ihedioha.
The convener also called for continuous prayers from all citizens against those trying to derail the gains of development and progress.

A renowned economist, Professor Pat Utomi,has said that most citizens have lost hope and given up on Nigeria.
He called for an urgent national dialogue on the political future of Nigeria and on the security challenges.
The former presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC) spoke over the weekend in Abuja at a citizens’ conversation on the state of the nation.
Utomi noted that it was high time concerted efforts were made to fix the numerous problems in the country.
He said: “As I go around Nigeria, I have found out that most Nigerians are in despair; they have even given up on their country and that is a very dangerous thing to happen to any people.
“The question, therefore, is: why are Nigerians so distrust? why are they so unhappy? why are our leaders trading abuses and insults every day on one another?”
Utomi lamented that Nigerians were not having a national public conversation which should focus on the common good of the populace.
“Some think the Nigerian state is hijacked and privatised; there is a sense in which people think elections are meaningless in Nigeria and there is a sense in which there is a level of distrust.
“We need to engage all critical stakeholders’ and groups, but we are starting from the group I like to refer to as complacent middle,” Utomi said.